Wind Sister
by Raven Mikia
Summary: Fresh and 17! Off to a place where Sakura n the gang expect relaxation and just plain ordinary fun. But then again, when has a trip w/the Card Captors ever been ORDINARY? Not to mention *wink* the stirring in Li Syaoran ^_~ and Sakura *wink*REVIEW!!!
1. Never Too Late

Chapter one: never too late?  
  
"And Kero-chan does it again! Ho yeah!" the funny-looking yellow stuffed toy yelled as he flew up in the air, the video game control still in his hand.  
  
"Never dies, does it, Kero?!" Sakura Kinomoto, a seventeen-year old girl with startling green eyes asked as she slung her backpack on one shoulder, the other strap hanging loosely. She smiled at her long time friend/mentor.  
  
"Hey Sakura, don't forget me! I'm not stayin' here while you go all the way to Quebec for 3 weeks!" exclaimed Kero as he flew out the door just as Sakura was closing it.  
  
The sun was the first thing that greeted them as they stepped outside the door, just before Tomoyo's big "HI! I walked here 'cause I thought you would want to take your car instead so Tori could drive it home after we get to the airport!"  
  
"That's fine!" Both girls were in the midst of dumping their luggage into the convertible when Tori, Sakura's semi-hot older brother, came out.  
  
"Hey Squirt, you all ready?" He winked at Tomoyo and got into the driver's seat as Sakura sat next to him while Tomoyo sat in the back with the packs.  
  
"Aren't you tired of that nickname yet?!" Sakura cried.  
  
"YOW!" She spun around as Kero jumped up from the back and yelped. "Careful where you wham those bags! I almost got crushed!"  
  
Tomoyo laughed as she looked at the flabbergasted guardian of the seal, who looked as funny as he was scary when in his true form, a golden beast. "Sorry, I didn't think you would be hiding beneath all those bags!"  
  
Tori glanced behind him. "So, I guess your little stuffed animal couldn't bear staying home without you for 3 weeks huh?"  
  
Sakura giggled. "Nah, he's just hoping to see if Quebec's food is anything close to pudding!"  
  
Not very long afterwards, Tori slowed down as they arrived at the airport. "K squirt, we're here! Hope you guys have a good time!"  
  
Tomoyo and Sakura both got off as Tori parked the car and started picking up their baggage. "Thanks Tori! Tell dad to go to my room and he'll see the note I left him. He left early today so I didn't get to say bye again!"  
  
"You already said bye last night! Anyway, don't forget to bring me back some superbe French girls! " Tori winked at both Sakura and Tomoyo as he drove away, waving.  
  
"BYE!" All three said, including Kero.  
  
****  
  
As they waited at the gates, a voice cried out from behind. "Sakura! Tomoyo!" Chiharu and Naoko came running towards them. "You guys are so early! Not even half the class is here yet!"  
  
"Well, we didn't want to miss our flight and get left behind!" Tomoyo smiled.  
  
"Hi guys! Where's Rika?" Sakura piped in.  
  
"Oh, she's coming with Li and Takashi. She couldn't get a ride and there wasn't room in my mom's car anymore!" Naoko explained.  
  
The girls chatted while Kero kept himself amused by hiding in Sakura's backpack, eating her snacks. Soon enough, the rest of their class started streaming in and they were almost ready to board. Sakura couldn't help feeling anxious, seeing that Li wasn't there yet, and neither were Takashi and Rika.  
  
"I wonder what's taking them so long?!" Chiharu asked, voicing Sakura's suppressed anxiety.  
  
"Gates JAL575, JAL 578, flight Tokyo to Quebec, now boarding." The announcer started speaking, as their teacher, Ms. Mckenzie, gave out orders for the students to take their things. Lots of the students were glad to welcome their old teacher back.  
  
"Alright, everybody, don't wander away from the class, stay close to your belongings and as you all know, you can't pick whom you sit with but don't worry 'cause we'll all be close together anyhow, according to the tickets. Alright?!"  
  
"Hai, Ms. Mckenzie!" they all chimed.  
  
Naoko turned to Sakura and Tomoyo, "Ok guys, we'll see you in the plane!" And she hurried off with Chiharu to catch up with the class. Tomoyo picked up her bags and gave an absent-minded Sakura her backpack.  
  
"Here, you're not looking where you're supposed to! Hey, what's wrong?" Tomoyo looked at her friend with a concerned look. "Oh, I know. it's Li and the others. Maybe they're at the front of the line or something. Don't worry, I don't think they'd miss this trip for anything!"  
  
Sakura snapped back into the present and forced a smile. "Uh.ya, probably! Let's go!" she started walking with Tomoyo, but her worries were far from reassured. They had been watching the entrance carefully while they were chatting to see if Li, Rika and Takashi came in. But they didn't. She knew they weren't at the front.  
  
The stewardess was taking the students' boarding passes as they filed into the plane. There were only four more ahead of them, and they were the last in line. Still no Rika. Still no Takashi. Still no Li. Tomoyo pulled Sakura as the stewardess brightly welcomed them and took their boarding passes. What had happened to Li and the others?! Why aren't they here?! Did something bad happen?! The heavy metal door was about to close when somebody shouted, "WAIT!"  
  
****  
  
Tomoyo and Sakura whirled around as did the stewardess. Her heart pounding, Sakura hoped against hope that it was them. Her heart seemed to have released a thousand pounds off itself when Takashi burst in, followed by a panting Rika and a gasping Li. Eyes still closed, Takashi extended his hand to the stewardess. "Here's our passes! I'm sorry we're late!"  
  
The stewardess examined them then gave the latecomers their seats. The students walked down the aisle with a sigh of relief. As it turned out, Tomoyo's seat was right behind Sakura's, and the seats next to her were occupied by Sizhu, a tall girl whom she barely talked to, and Rika. Takashi was 2 seats up front, with Chiharu and Naoko. Ms. Mckenzie sat next to Li, who was at Sakura's right.  
  
The teacher smiled at them. She no longer had to look down when talking to the students, as she used to long ago when they were still in elementary. She decided teaching high school was worth coming back, as it must be interesting, especially since the former Card Captors attended that school. She almost had to look up at Li, who had grown rather tall and attractive, as, she noticed, Sakura seemed to think. "What took you guys so long? I was wondering why you hadn't shown up yet!"  
  
Li made a face as he recounted, "Well, it was Takashi's fault. First we had to stop along the way to Rika's house because he forgot his passport! Then just as we got to the airport, he had to go to the washroom. I mean really go. Rika and I had to wait for practically half an hour! By the time we got to the gates the only ones there were an old man and a guy who looked like he just came from a carnival parade. That's when we ran like crazy, hoping the planed didn't take off yet!"  
  
Sakura laughed as Rika popped up from behind and rested her arms on top of Sakura's seat.  
  
"Yeah! That's the last time I ever go anywhere important with Takashi!" They all had a good laugh just before the pilot announced that they should put their seatbelts on, since they would be taking off soon. As Rika sank back into her seat, Ms. Mckenzie turned with a teasing look at Sakura, and said,  
  
"Well girls, I hear there are many cute french boys where we're heading!" With a laugh, she added, "just don't get too wild!"  
  
Sakura grinned and replied, "well, maybe just a little!" She winked at their friend, Ms. Mckenzie, but she missed the strange look on Li's face. He suddenly seemed to be interested in his shoes, as he bent down to fix the laces, with a red face.  
  
****  
  
The fresh breeze whipped past Li's face as he carried his bulging backpack and walked alongside Takashi, who was rambling on about the french words he'd learned from his tutor. Naoko was still unusually quiet, due to her queasy stomach. Airplanes were nothing compared to a good old car, that rolled on the ground.  
  
Chiharu, on the other hand, was as cheerful as ever and she pointed to a sign whose shape looked exactly like the octagon that usually says STOP. "Betcha that means stop!" She leered at Takashi.  
  
"That is called, ARRET, not stop. But seeing that my vocabulary is so much wider than yours, I will take it to account and say that you're right!" he replied.  
  
The class halted to a stop as Ms. Mckenzie explained loudly, "Alright, now that we're in Quebec, we'll be going to the countryside where we will be staying for 3 weeks. We'll take the bus and if there aren't any more seats available, just go to the back and hold on to poles and stand. Remember, let the seniors take your seat if you see that there aren't any left for them. When we get off at Arundel, say 'merci' to the driver. After a rest, probably in a day or two, we might go downtown.. at Montreal! Ok?"  
  
"OK!" The students exclaimed. Sakura couldn't wait 'till they got to the hotel, where she could relax.  
  
and then maybe meet some French boys!  
  
End of chapter one 


	2. Resonant Fields

Chapter two: Resonant fields  
  
"This is the life! No homework, no chores, no Tori! Well, maybe the Tori part's ok." cried Sakura,  
  
"Ha you said it! After long weeks of final exams, this is the least the school could do for us. Field trip for 3 weeks in Quebec!" exclaimed Tomoyo.  
  
"Well we DID have to pay for it you know!" Takashi added as he ran past them to a maple tree where Chiharu, Li, Naoko and Rika were sitting underneath. Naoko was waving to the two girls, yelling,  
  
"Come on you guys! Stop dawdling!"  
  
Tomoyo and Sakura ran after Takashi and plopped down between Chiharu and Li. "So, why don't we play something?" asked an eager-eyed Sakura.  
  
"Like what?" Naoko was pulling blades of grass from the ground simultaneously while looking at a picture Ms.Mckenzie had given them.  
  
"Hey what's that?" Li asked. Sakura was feeling giddy and excited, whether it was due to a fresh new day for doing anything she wanted, or to the boy sitting next to her, she didn't want to know. Li noticed that she was looking at him from his peripheral vision and felt as if his nerves suddenly tightened, and his face getting hot.  
  
"Oh, it's just a picture of a spot near the stream. It's really pretty!" Naoko answered.  
  
"Let's see!" Takashi said, clamoring to get a look at the picture, as did everybody else.  
  
"Why don't we go see what it's like? If that's the Voeux stream which our french teacher mentioned once, then it should be very close by!" suggested Tomoyo. "Ms. Mckenzie said we could wander about today, just not too far."  
  
Everyone looked at the picture for a second, turned their heads up and smiled in unison. They set off for the stream they had passed along the way yesterday.  
  
****  
  
The soft green fields sloped a bit upwards as the friends walked on, only to descend slightly again. Far ahead, big dark green trees seemed to form a border. They traveled across two more sloping expanses of grass before they could see a little stream, trickling down a mound. Near it was a cherry blossom tree, standing out as a neon-pink dress would, among dull-colored clothes.  
  
Strange, Sakura thought. I didn't know cherry blossoms were found around here. The picture didn't have one in it either. Maybe the picture was taken a long time ago. But. the bridge. it should at least look old and worn by now if it had been built before the tree was planted. and the flowers surrounding the tree. somehow they look more alive, more colorful, than the ones beyond. Sakura shook her head. Probably just my imagination.  
  
The others didn't seem to find anything strange about it. In fact they were running towards the bridge. Sakura decided to join them.  
  
"The cherry blossoms remind me of home, Sakura." Li said quietly. "But somehow, there seems to be something more to that tree than what we see. It's strange."  
  
Sakura looked up at him in surprise. "So, you feel it too. But I don't know what."  
  
"Hey guys! Come on! It's refreshing!" Takashi called out, as he removed his left shoe and sock then dipped his foot into the stream with his right one. Chiharu, Rika, Naoko and Tomoyo were doing the same, splashing the water about with their feet. Li and Sakura looked at each other. For a moment, neither one remembered the green fields, the little stream, the other students at the hotel, or somewhere else, the cherry blossom tree, nor the bridge they were standing on, so close together. Then it shattered, as a scream penetrated the moment and Li ran to the others, followed by Sakura.  
  
Takashi, Rika, and Tomoyo were frantically reaching out to a gasping Chiharu. Her head bobbing up and down in the middle of the stream which was not very wide. Her hand shot upwards as she strained to keep her head up. Takashi dived in and was stunned at how deep the stream was. Streams were supposed to be fairly shallow. And Chiharu knew how to swim. Finally he was able to grab Chiharu's arm and drag her to the surface, where he was helped by the others to lay her down carefully on the grass.  
  
Naoko still had her hands clamped on her mouth, the way she had frozen right after she had screamed. Chiharu merely waded in a little more, because streams were never deep. Then she just seemed to be suddenly pulled down by an invisible force. She couldn't understand what happened. Neither did she like the tension in the air that had seeped through the atmosphere so subtly, now gripping everyone in full force.  
  
"Chiharu, are you all right?" cried a distressed Tomoyo and a soaking Takashi.  
  
Coughing, Chiharu looked up at them with a troubled face. " I think I'm ok. But, there was something down there. I couldn't free my legs no matter how I kicked! And how could that have happened when just a moment before I got dragged in, the bottom was so clear and shallow?!"  
  
Rika looked at Sakura, who in turn looked at Li. But none of them had an answer. Tomoyo got up and walked towards Naoko, trying to console the frightened girl. Tomoyo didn't know what was going on either, but having experienced unnatural and amazing adventures with the Card Captors, Sakura and Li, when they were kids, she wasn't so dumbfounded as the others.  
  
Suddenly, the wind picked up, blowing against the fields, the trees, the stream and the students. Chiharu sat up, trying to block the wind from hitting her face with a dripping arm, just like Naoko and Rika. Li planted his feet into the ground ,bracing himself. Sakura's quick wits worked double time. There's something wrong here, it isn't natural. She could feel it. Kero couldn't tell her what, because he was still in the hotel, watching t.v.  
  
"Tomoyo! Get the others back to the hotel! Hurry! This isn't going to die down anytime soon! Go before it grows stronger!" she yelled, her voice fighting to get across to her friend. Tomoyo heard and quickly helped Takashi get Chiharu to her feet, then grabbed Naoko's and Rika's hands.  
  
"We have to get back to the hotel! Come on!" she cried. The others merely nodded, the wind becoming stronger every minute. Rika turned around. "Sakura, Li! Let's go!"  
  
Before Sakura could answer, a torrent of wind blew against the friends trying to get away, and to her shock, their feet were being lifted off the ground. She had to do something fast.  
  
"O key of clow, power of magic, power of light! Surrender the one, the force ignite! Shield card! Form a bubble around my friends! Release and dispel!"  
  
The shield emerged from its card as Sakura's rod struck it. It rushed to envelope the helpless Naoko, Rika, Takashi, Chiharu and Tomoyo. Li turned to Sakura.  
  
"That'll protect them for now! They won't realize what happened afterwards, the wind's blurring everything for us to see clearly! Get them to safety!" he bellowed. Although Sakura was right next to him, it was hard to hear each other due to the crashing of the wind, whipping their hair across their faces. Sakura nodded.  
  
"Float card! Carry my friends to the hotel! Release and dispel!"  
  
The spirit of the float card quickly obeyed and soon only Li and Sakura were left standing, fighting against the wind which threatened to blow them away into the unreliable stream.  
  
The grass waved this way and that as the raging wind tossed it. Only their deep roots held tightly by the ground stopped the blades from completely flying away into the air. The fields seemed now to be ringing with a deafening sound. Sakura was startled by a warm hand gripping hers and pulling her. Li was struggling to get to the cherry blossom tree, where they might take cover for a while. She followed, half dragged by him, half pushed by the wild wind. Only when they got close enough to the tree did she notice that not one of its flowers fluttered in the wind. She felt a tugging wariness, telling her to stay away from the tree. A shiver went through her. The tree was becoming increasingly creepy. But Li didn't seem to be bothered and kept on pulling her with him Then the gusts of wind stopped, so sudden that she stared speechless. Li was still holding her hand, as they stood underneath the cherry blossom's branches.  
  
End of chapter two 


	3. Two Sides of the Same Force

Chapter three: Two sides of the same force  
  
  
  
Sakura looked up at Li as he looked at her, and both stared at each other for a moment, hand in hand, then broke away. Li started to speak, still red with embarrassment.  
  
"I.uh.I don't understand! The wind has stopped.no.it's still going! I can see the fields moving and the stream making those waves! Man this is weird."  
  
Sakura looked around. It was true. But there seemed to be an invisible bubble surrounding the cherry blossom tree, at least four meters in diameter. She couldn't feel the wind at all, and, as she noticed before, the flowers weren't moving as they should have, due to the raging wind.  
  
"I don't like this. The tree! It's giving off some sort of energy!" Sakura whirled around to face the trunk, thick and sturdy. Even as she spoke, the center of all the branches, leaves and flowers began to glow.  
  
Li stepped in front of Sakura, placing a protective arm before her. The light increased in brightness, finally growing so intense that both Li and Sakura had to turn away and shut their eyes. Then the light altogether disappeared. Slowly, they turned around. A woman, with silver hair fringed in blue stood in front of them. Her hair seemed to be liquid, yet not entirely. It flowed and swayed about. like the wind was playing with it. Sakura could never quite catch it in a solid form. She was tall, with raiment that fell to the grass, made of the same flowing substance as her hair, but a different color. It was a rich sky blue, gilded in bright silver. In fact, it looked quite elaborate. and elegant. The sleeves covered her arms and part of her hands. But it was her eyes that struck Li the most. They had a questioning look, behind a wise and penetrating gaze. Yet there was more to it. She was troubled, but calm. Like suppressed sorrow.  
  
"Who.who are you?" ventured Sakura. For a moment, silence blanketed the whole atmosphere. Then.  
  
"I am one.of the omnipresent forces you feel, but not see."  
  
The woman's voice was enlightening, and Li immediately felt relieved of the tension that had been gripping him even before the wind's sudden attack. Sakura felt the same, and somehow her suspicions left completely, but her wariness of the tree still remained.  
  
"Could.could you please tell us what exactly is going on?" Li stammered.  
  
The woman, or force, looked at him intentyl, as if trying to measure how much she should say, or if he was worth it.  
  
"My sister is on a rampage. She'll start blowing on the plants so hard, they will be uprooted. The flowers only newly planted, will again be destroyed, save for the ones surrounding my tree."  
  
Sakura looked around. That's why the flowers look different! She snapped back up as the woman continued.  
  
"Fortunately, she's not in her worst mood. That's all she'll do. If she were exceedingly upset, she will make the trees bend until they break, and wreak havoc among the humans. She's done that before."  
  
At this, Sakura exclaimed, "But why?! What is she? Surely she's not as powerful as to be able to do such things! Why doesn't somebody stop her?"  
  
Suddenly, just outside the protective bubble, a voice rang out, laughing. Yet not with joy.  
  
"Foolish child, no one can stop me!"  
  
Li stepped closer to Sakura. The view around them started blurring ,spinning faster and faster as the inane wind laughed with its prickly tone.  
  
"Sister! Why do you insist on helping the useless? You will never be able to roam free, if you stay like that!"  
  
The woman dressed in silver and blue looked straight past Li and Sakura.  
  
"Soeur, tu ne comprend pas. You do not understand. Why do you dwell in the meaningless?! Stop your childish tantrums now!"  
  
Instantly the vision cleared, allowing Sakura to see some clumps of grass covered with dirt, lying around, and patches near the stream, flat and soaked. The flowers looked wilted beyond hope, the petals scattered away from their source.  
  
"Sister. This is what I love to do, why deprive me of it?" the voice said. The woman's eyes seemed to hold nothing now, but sadness.  
  
"Try loving.without pain."  
  
The bubble evaporated without warning, and everything was calm again. The other voice had gone, so imperceptibly. The woman began glowing once again, a wavering image in front of the baffled friends. But before she disappeared altogether, she said,  
  
"Sakura. You have the key to unlock the power. The power that will bringm y sister back to whom she has always been. Li, you have the power to show Sakura what she needs to know. And to protect her."  
  
Then she vanished, leaving the tree looking as it had before the wind blew recklessly. Sakura looked at Li, and spoke in a subdued tone. "What does she mean?!"  
  
Li looked down and shook his head. "I'm afraid I don't know."  
  
When Sakura got back to the hotel, she hurriedly ran to her room to tell Kero about all that happened. Searching frantically for her keys in her jeans' pockets, she groaned impatiently. Then she remembered she had hooked the key chain onto one of her belt straps. Unlocking the door, she pushed it and entered quickly, locking it automatically. She turned towards the couch and stopped abruptly.  
  
Ms. Mackenzie was sitting there, a teacup on her lap, its ear held between her fingers. Kero was on the coffee table, munching happily on a strawberry cheesecake. Ms. Mackenzie's face held that intriguing smile, which had always made Sakura feel uncomfortable, but no more than Li.  
  
"You look as if you've been through some rough wind", she said.  
  
Sakura fidgeted. Why did Ms. Mackenzie always seem to pop up when strange things occurred? And how did she always seem to know?  
  
Kero stopped munching at that, and looked up. "Tomoyo came by already. She told us all that happened."  
  
Sakura felt relieved and made her way to the couch. She greeted the teacher as she reached for a piece of cheesecake and a fork. "Good. You know Kero, you should try using a fork instead of gobbling everything up like that!"  
  
The stuffed animal raised his head. "Why mess with the good thing?!"  
  
Ms. Mackenzie had been silent and now she finally spoke. "Sakura, our class is going downtown tomorrow. Even away from Japan, unexpected things happen." She looked at the seventeen-year old meaningfully. "Keep your eyes open, but don't look from the outside."  
  
She stood up and drank the last of her tea. "Thank you Cerberus. Tomoyo's cake is still as good as ever." She bowed before leaving. Just as she was about to close the door, she turned to Sakura.  
  
"They key only opens what it is meant for."  
  
A stunned Sakura spluttered with a sheepish grin, "uh..ya!" As the door closed, she turned to Kero.  
  
"Now what was that all about?!" ****  
  
Walking down the sidewalk alongside Sakura, Tomoyo whispered,  
  
"It's a good thing you brought the cards with you! I don't know how else we could've gotten back safely!"  
  
Sakura smiled. "I guess it became a habit. You know, the clow cards and all! Whoops, I forgot, they're Sakura cards now!"  
  
The other students were in some kind of impulsive line, being that no one had told them to do so, walking with their friends but not occupying the whole sidewalk. That was pretty hard to do, considering the other half of the sidewalk was being trod on by crowds of people holding shopping bags, chattering away with each other or on their cell phones. The students way behind them were still climbing down the bus steps. Sakura was getting pretty used to standing up in the back of the bus, especially since the ones they took were destined for popular areas.  
  
They finally stopped in front of a large building with much space in front of it. The big glass doors allowed the students to see aisles upon aisles of summer clothes, the latest and most fashionable. Naoko, Rika, Chiharu and most of the girls were already looking inside longingly, exclaiming how much they'd like to go in. The boys seemed to have other plans. At this, Ms. Mackenzie quieted them and cried out loud,  
  
"All right, here's what we'll do. Those who would like to go to "Simon's", stay with me. The others who want to walk a little more and explore the smaller boutiques will go with Monsieur Dufreine, who has kindly accompanied us today. Is that clear?"  
  
Eagerly they all cried, "Hai!"  
  
Takashi turned to Li and asked, "So where do you wanna go? Avec Monsieur Dufreine or Ms. Mackenzie?"  
  
Chiharu popped her head in between them before entering "Simon's" and said,  
  
"Oh stop showing off with your French!" Flicking Takashi's head, she laughed and joined Rika and Naoko.  
  
Li eyed the French man who seemed to be some kind of tour guide, but not really. Monsieur D. had been friendly the first day they came to the hotel and he was nice enough. Plus, he didn't pry into private business, like some adults do. When Sakura and Li came back yesterday from the wind's onslaught, he had been sitting in the lobby, reading a newspaper. He'd looked at them with a puzzled face but said nothing more than a "bonjour".  
  
"I think I'd like to go check out the other shops for now. Let's go!" Takashi agreed and they followed the man.  
  
Tomoyo saw the two detach from the group going into "Simon's" and nudged Sakura.  
  
"We'll go here some other time. Why don't we go see what the other shops are like?"  
  
Sakura glanced at Monsieur D. and the students following them, acutely aware that Li was one of them. She nodded and hurried to catch up with that group, Tomoyo by her side. ****  
  
  
  
Tomoyo looked for size 5 jeans among the racks in the back area of the store. They were in a branch of the famous company, Guess. Meanwhile, Sakura studied the crystal bracelets up front with a delighted face. They were so pretty, each and every crystal that made up the bracelets. One she particularly liked was made up of beads with a milky hue. It was interesting how the light made it look white one moment, blue-greenish the next, and translucent altogether. She slipped it on her wrist and admired the way it looked on her. She checked the tag price and caught her breath.  
  
"$29.95! For a single bracelet? Man I can't spend that much on a bracelet! Most of my money's still in yen!"  
  
Reluctantly she slipped it off her wrist and was about to put it back when hand grabbed hers. Before she knew it, the bracelet was pulled from her hand.  
  
"Hey! That's."  
  
She stopped in mid-sentence when she saw Li holding the bracelet in his hand, a shy and embarrassed look on his face. Before she could say anything, he turned away and disappeared behind the clothes racks.  
  
What in the world? Sakura thought. She soon forgot about Li when all of a sudden, the store darkened. She looked outside through the glass windows and saw the sky deepening with black clouds appearing over the streets and buildings. People were beginning to run for cover, some shielding their heads with shopping bags, newspapers, or their arms. Thunder rumbled overhead and lightning streaked the sky occasionally. Shoppers in the Guess store were gasping, mostly the teenagers, clutching each other in anxiety.  
  
"Mais qu'est-ce qui se passe?" "I thought the weather forecast was 'sunny, few clouds'?! "C'est bizarre!" "Da heck?!" People exclaimed, everybody speaking at the same time. By now, Tomoyo had made her way to Sakura, and was clutching her friend's arm.  
  
"I don't like storms Sakura, especially when I'm not in my own house!" Sakura comforted Tomoyo. "Don't worry, it'll pass soon.I hope."  
  
Even as she said these words, the rain came pouring down from the thickly clouded sky. The raindrops pelted so hard that they could hear it hit the ground, already full of puddles. She screamed in surprise, in unison with the others, when a lightning bolt suddenly struck a parking meter which exploded with an ear-splitting sound.  
  
Sakura was now thoroughly freaked out, her nerves rushing through her body, her stomach tightening. This isn't a normal storm. The lightning struck so hard! And how come nobody ever sensed the storm coming? Or else there wouldn't have been so many people out today. She couldn't sense clow cards on the loose anymore since she'd captured them all. Nevertheless, the storm gave her a very uneasy feeling. Come to think of it, the same wary feeling she had felt about the cherry blossom tree seized her now.  
  
"Tomoyo, I have to get out and deal with whatever's causing this. Now." Her gaze bit into Tomoyo and her friend let a protest drop. She nodded, concern in her sweet eyes. Tomoyo had always been there for her, ever since she was a kid. She understood without too much explanation, listened when necessary, and helped when able to. Very cooperative. Running out of the store, she heard cries telling her to stay.  
  
"Wait! It's too dangerous!" "Attends! C'est dangeureux!"  
  
Well, it wasn't like she was eager to face an abnormally violent storm. Outside, she felt the harsh raindrops pelting her skin, hitting with such force that she had to bow her head to protect her face. Even that wasn't enough, due to the rough wind blowing against her and carrying the raindrops in a slant direction. She fought her way through the deserted street, the cars having been abandoned in fear of the lightning.  
  
She was vaguely aware of the boutiques crammed with anxious people. Where was she going? How do you fight something you can't see? Her steps came to a halt. That's what the woman in blue and silver said. She's one of the omnipresent forces we feel, but not see! Think Sakura, think! A storm. Lightning, thunder, rain. And wind.  
  
She groaned. Don't tell me she's doing all this! But.oh no! The woman said that if the wind was exceedingly upset, she would wreak havoc among the humans! Is this what she meant? Sakura grasped her head between her hands. It's so loud! The storm, kids crying, people squealing when thunder struck. How am I supposed to think?! I need quiet! She snapped up. That's it! The silent card! Maybe it'll transport the storm away!"  
  
"Silent card! Quiet the storm! Release and dispel!"  
  
Sakura expected the darkness to lift off the streets any minute, for surely the clouds would have been driven away. But nothing happened. Oh yes, something did happen. She noticed the number of people in the shops had decreased. And it was a lot quieter. No roaring thunder, no screaming. But it was still raining hard. Just like when she captured the cloud card. How ill she had felt then. But Meilin had been there to help her. And Li. Well maybe he was there because of her rivalry. But she believed he just said that for show. How she wished resolving this present problem were as easy as capturing that card! She snapped to reality as a flash of light streaked across the sky. The storm was as violent as ever, only now there was no noise. What an odd effect the Silent card had made. The forces I'm dealing with are as strong as I feared. What am I supposed to do?!  
  
"AAAAH!" Sakura screamed as an astoundingly strong wind blew her off her feet and caused her to fly backwards. She winced in pain as she hit the bumper of a car. The impact left her gasping for air. Her eyes closed in a silent struggle to regain her strength. Just then, she heard laughter. The unnerving laughter she'd heard before. Without looking, she knew who had hit her so hard.  
  
~ End of CHAPTER THREE 


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